Oklahoma Wants to be The Next Texas

[Pete]

I'm in my 60s, so let me gently say that I have noticed much of the fear of safety, etc. are really a natural function of getting older. There are many hangouts of my 30s that I no longer feel good about visiting. They haven't changed-I have.

Yep.

Downtown is only unsafe if you go to one of the notorious Bricktown bars (or a couple in Midtown) and stay until closing time and then get into a fight with drunk fools.

There is almost zero random violent crime, in 'urban' areas or elsewhere. What little there is occurs among people that know each other and/or enter into some sort of escalating confrontation.

[stlokc]

Dob and Pete,
Thank you so much for your breaths of fresh air on the topic of crime and safety. While it is always wise to keep abreast of your surroundings, pearl clutching really only serves to cut off possible avenues of enjoyment out of your own life. Of course, if an urban area isn't your thing, it isn't your thing.

As to the post about growth, growth is generally good. Readers of this board probably tire of me using St. Louis as an example. But the St. Louis metro area grows at like 1 percent a decade. For all practical purposes, zero. Low levels of growth introduce a huge new set of problems for a city that OKC, thank God, does not have. Be happy with growth! Now, I do think OKC and many other places could grow in a much smarter way. The sprawl will be unsustainable eventually. OKC could double in population without growing a whole lot more in "developed land area." But that's another topic.

[PoliSciGuy]

I'm in my 60s, so let me gently say that I have noticed much of the fear of safety, etc. are really a natural function of getting older. There are many hangouts of my 30s that I no longer feel good about visiting. They haven't changed-I have.

Man, this level of self-awareness and commentary is a breath of fresh air.

I agree with the overall concern about growth in the metro, especially given our lackluster public transit, education and healthcare systems. Up here in Deer Creek we can't build schools fast enough to keep up with folks moving in. It takes a lot of planning and foresight to grow "well" and I don't know if we have the leadership to do it, at least at the state level. Holt seems to understand the challenge at least.

That all being said, it's also a bit exciting to see what this city can become if things are managed well. So many opportunities for infill and vertical building to go along with our massive sprawl. OKC in 2050 will be fascinating to see.

[Mott]

Dob and Pete,
Thank you so much for your breaths of fresh air on the topic of crime and safety. While it is always wise to keep abreast of your surroundings, pearl clutching really only serves to cut off possible avenues of enjoyment out of your own life. Of course, if an urban area isn't your thing, it isn't your thing.
As to the post about growth, growth is generally good. Readers of this board probably tire of me using St. Louis as an example. But the St. Louis metro area grows at like 1 percent a decade. For all practical purposes, zero. Low levels of growth introduce a huge new set of problems for a city that OKC, thank God, does not have. Be happy with growth! Now, I do think OKC and many other places could grow in a much smarter way. The sprawl will be unsustainable eventually. OKC could double in population without growing a whole lot more in "developed land area." But that's another topic.

Love visiting St. Louis, don’t know it well enough to know those neighborhoods I should avoid. But I would love to have St.Louis’s food culture in OKC! Just check out Feast, and Sauce, two monthly food magazines.

[stlokc]

Love visiting St. Louis, don’t know it well enough to know those neighborhoods I should avoid. But I would love to have St.Louis’s food culture in OKC! Just check out Feast, and Sauce, two monthly food magazines.

Indeed. There are things St. Louis struggles with, but an amazing restaurant culture us not one of them. I like to think I have my finger on the pulse, but periodically lists of new or award-winning restaurants will come out and I’ll realize I’ve been to only a tiny fraction of them. And they seem to debut new ones every week.